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K3 - Reliability

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radioshoppe

K3 - Reliability

Bill and others,
With all the discussion about problems with the KX3 and K3 I feel is is timely to discuss the problems with my K3 and Elecraft's response. My K3 arrived as the usual modular kit and is in the 34xx serial numbers. I've had it three years this coming September (9/2012). Details of failures are as below.
1. Upon receipt the DSP PCB had 8+ volt buss shorted to ground. Elecraft replaced the PCB and it was up and working about two weeks after ordering.
2. Excessive current indication. Elecraft sent a replacement HPA that did not correct the problem. The replacment HPA had two
capacitors hanging off the side. Returned the K3 to Elecraft and they found a drive transistor in the LPA was defective.
3. Loss of sensitivity at turn on. Took about twenty minutes to reach full sensitivity. After many weeks of back and forth discussions, Elecraft sent a relay which I installed. It did not help. Sent the K3 back to Elecraft. They found a defective solder joint on the RF board. They installed several updates. Elecraft extended the warranty to 18 months.
4. CONFIG menu was scrambled. The adjustable items did not line up with the item it was to adjust. Wayne at Elecraft got involved after several exchanges with support. Finally resolved by doing a complete reset and installing all new software. Had to recalibrate all functions and reset all adjustables in the menu as the back up was also corrupted.
5. Power adjustment was erratic. Sometimes it took five or more complete turns to change power from about 30 to 100 watts. Other adjustments controlled by that encoder seemed to work okay. Again, it took weeks back and forth with support. They finally shipped a new encoder which I installed and that corrected the problem.
6. ATU would not tune. No relay action at all. The ATU was not in bypass. After instruction from support to recalibrate several functions and perform other tests, it begun to function properly. I'm wondering if this K3 has had the gold pin modification. Got near simultaneous responses from three different individuals in support when I emailed about the problem. Some troubleshooting overlapped but the varying directions from three different technicians was confusing. Do they have a triage system with one technician assigned to work a problem?
7. Concentrite knobs near the microphone connector cracked. I took the K3 to Field Day and when I removed it from it's Pelican like case after returning, the knobs were cracked. Support sent replacements. The replacements are a matt black and the other knobs are glossy black. The replacements color and finish look weird compared to the originals that remain on the radio.
I and elecraft have been unable to determine if the frequency response modification has been done. The radio was shipped at about the time the modification was begun. It appears to have different capacitors from earlier PCB's but there was no daughter board installed. I installed a daughter board myself.
I also have a K2 and several mini-kits. The k2 has had no major failures. But I've calibrated the dial and set the filters several times.
At the Dayton Hamvention in 2011 I attempted to discuss the radio with Eric. His response was to call support and he turned away. I realize it was at opening time but a "can you get back with me after we get open" would have been received much better. I have worked the Elecraft booth at the Hamvention and operated an Elecraft table at local swapfests for several years. After the above listed problems, the extended time to resolve some of the problems and the exchange at the Hamvention I will no longer give my time to support Elecraft.
When my finances allow I will be replacing the K3 as my main radio with another brand. I realize this may be a solitatiion for flames from those innebrated with the Elecraft kool-aid. I once was a great fan of Elecraft but that has fallen by the way side with this K3.

Take pride in the USA. 73

Jim, W0EM

<<<<<<I have been reading the posts about the KX3 and it brings up a question about K3 reliability.

Prior to my purchase of a K3 last winter, I did all the usual research on reflectors and boards. I was looking for real-life user information and experiences. What impressed me most was the lack of reported serious failures - those requiring a visit to the factory. I do know that some K3s have required factory level warranty repairs. The question is: how many or what percentage. And, is there a particular problem(s) that appears often.

Most rigs, after being on the market for a period of time, have known short comings. Not so for the K3. I have read nothing that indicates a chronic problem(s).

Based on the above, I purchased and built a K3. Five months after completion - the rig is at the factory awaiting warranty repair (dark display with MCU LD shown). Needless to say, I do question the K3's reliability factor and would be very interested in the particulars of other failures requiring a return to the factory for warranty repairs.

I am still on the air, using my trusty Kenwood 480 while on vacation - so no total washouts.

Kindly keep the flames to a minimum - this is a serious question that I should have pushed prior to purchase.

Thanks,

Bill W2BLC >>>>>>>>>>>

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Eric Swartz - WA6HHQ

Re: K3 - Reliability

Administrator

Hi Jim,

Wow, this certainly sounds like you have had bad luck. I'd like to
personally apologize to you for the frustration you have felt.

I'm at a loss about your comment about my reaction to your question at
Dayton 2011. To be honest its been so long I don't recall the
conversation. I do know that we are usually extremely busy at Dayton,
especially when we are setting up and as the show is about to open. I
can only guess that you may have misunderstood my response (or I
misunderstood your question) and I was then interrupted by someone else,
or had to complete an urgent task, which prevented us from talking
further at that point. If I don't have the answer to a support or
technical question at shows, I usually do recommend that support is
contacted again, as they see a lot more K3s than Wayne or I ever will. I
also frequently try to direct people to a specific support engineer when
I can determine if they have better knowledge of a particular problem.
Its amazing what problems Gary, Dale, Richard, Howard and the rest of
the crew can quickly recognize and correct. But I would never brush
someone off purposely. I also take pains to be polite to everyone. I'm
always available for a direct call too if someone is not getting what
they need to solve a problem from our support team. I feel very badly
that you were left with this impression from our conversation.

Would it be OK for me to call you on Monday to discuss your problems? If
you are currently unhappy with the state of your current K3, we will
gladly exchange it with a new production K3 with the same options at our
cost.

Regards,

Eric WA6HHQ
---
www.elecraft.com

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Mike Reublin

Re: K3 - Reliability

While any product on the market can have failures, what differentiates
companies is how they handle those. I seriously doubt if anything even
close to Eric's apology and offer would come from 99% of the companies
we deal with.

73, Mike NF4L

On 8/4/12 8:45 PM, Eric Swartz - WA6HHQ, Elecraft wrote:

> Hi Jim,
>
> Wow, this certainly sounds like you have had bad luck. I'd like to
> personally apologize to you for the frustration you have felt.
>
> I'm at a loss about your comment about my reaction to your question at
> Dayton 2011. To be honest its been so long I don't recall the
> conversation. I do know that we are usually extremely busy at Dayton,
> especially when we are setting up and as the show is about to open. I
> can only guess that you may have misunderstood my response (or I
> misunderstood your question) and I was then interrupted by someone else,
> or had to complete an urgent task, which prevented us from talking
> further at that point. If I don't have the answer to a support or
> technical question at shows, I usually do recommend that support is
> contacted again, as they see a lot more K3s than Wayne or I ever will. I
> also frequently try to direct people to a specific support engineer when
> I can determine if they have better knowledge of a particular problem.
> Its amazing what problems Gary, Dale, Richard, Howard and the rest of
> the crew can quickly recognize and correct. But I would never brush
> someone off purposely. I also take pains to be polite to everyone. I'm
> always available for a direct call too if someone is not getting what
> they need to solve a problem from our support team. I feel very badly
> that you were left with this impression from our conversation.
>
> Would it be OK for me to call you on Monday to discuss your problems? If
> you are currently unhappy with the state of your current K3, we will
> gladly exchange it with a new production K3 with the same options at our
> cost.
>
> Regards,
>
> Eric WA6HHQ
> ---
> www.elecraft.com
>
>
> ______________________________________________________________
> Elecraft mailing list
> Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft
> Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm
> Post: mailto:[hidden email]
>
> This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net
> Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
>

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Bill K9YEQ

Re: K3 - Reliability

Not only that, both Eric and Wayne put up with a lot of stuff from us
customers and do it with grace. That is also an extremely important quality
they have. Personally, I would lack patience after a while.

73,
Bill
K9YEQ

-----Original Message-----
From: [hidden email]
[mailto:[hidden email]] On Behalf Of Mike
Sent: Sunday, August 05, 2012 5:34 AM
To: [hidden email]
Subject: Re: [Elecraft] K3 - Reliability

While any product on the market can have failures, what differentiates
companies is how they handle those. I seriously doubt if anything even close
to Eric's apology and offer would come from 99% of the companies we deal
with.

73, Mike NF4L

On 8/4/12 8:45 PM, Eric Swartz - WA6HHQ, Elecraft wrote:

problem.

> Its amazing what problems Gary, Dale, Richard, Howard and the rest of
> the crew can quickly recognize and correct. But I would never brush
> someone off purposely. I also take pains to be polite to everyone. I'm
> always available for a direct call too if someone is not getting what
> they need to solve a problem from our support team. I feel very badly
> that you were left with this impression from our conversation.
>
> Would it be OK for me to call you on Monday to discuss your problems?
> If you are currently unhappy with the state of your current K3, we
> will gladly exchange it with a new production K3 with the same options
> at our cost.
>
> Regards,
>
> Eric WA6HHQ
> ---

Matt Zilmer

Re: K3 - Reliability

Both always say, "We have thick skin." They do. Being in this
business isn't for everyone. Grace is hard to find within, even if
you're _not_ being put in a nominally defensive position.

matt, W6NIA

On Sun, 05 Aug 2012 11:09:43 -0500, you wrote:

>Not only that, both Eric and Wayne put up with a lot of stuff from us
>customers and do it with grace. That is also an extremely important quality
>they have. Personally, I would lack patience after a while.
>
>73,
>Bill
>K9YEQ
>
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: [hidden email]
>[mailto:[hidden email]] On Behalf Of Mike
>Sent: Sunday, August 05, 2012 5:34 AM
>To: [hidden email]
>Subject: Re: [Elecraft] K3 - Reliability
>
>While any product on the market can have failures, what differentiates
>companies is how they handle those. I seriously doubt if anything even close
>to Eric's apology and offer would come from 99% of the companies we deal
>with.
>
>73, Mike NF4L
>
>On 8/4/12 8:45 PM, Eric Swartz - WA6HHQ, Elecraft wrote:
>> Hi Jim,
>>
>> Wow, this certainly sounds like you have had bad luck. I'd like to
>> personally apologize to you for the frustration you have felt.
>>
>> I'm at a loss about your comment about my reaction to your question at
>> Dayton 2011. To be honest its been so long I don't recall the
>> conversation. I do know that we are usually extremely busy at Dayton,
>> especially when we are setting up and as the show is about to open. I
>> can only guess that you may have misunderstood my response (or I
>> misunderstood your question) and I was then interrupted by someone
>> else, or had to complete an urgent task, which prevented us from
>> talking further at that point. If I don't have the answer to a support
>> or technical question at shows, I usually do recommend that support is
>> contacted again, as they see a lot more K3s than Wayne or I ever will.
>> I also frequently try to direct people to a specific support engineer
>> when I can determine if they have better knowledge of a particular
>problem.
>> Its amazing what problems Gary, Dale, Richard, Howard and the rest of
>> the crew can quickly recognize and correct. But I would never brush
>> someone off purposely. I also take pains to be polite to everyone. I'm
>> always available for a direct call too if someone is not getting what
>> they need to solve a problem from our support team. I feel very badly
>> that you were left with this impression from our conversation.
>>
>> Would it be OK for me to call you on Monday to discuss your problems?
>> If you are currently unhappy with the state of your current K3, we
>> will gladly exchange it with a new production K3 with the same options
>> at our cost.
>>
>> Regards,
>>
>> Eric WA6HHQ
>> ---
>
>______________________________________________________________
>Elecraft mailing list
>Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft
>Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm
>Post: mailto:[hidden email]
>
>This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net
>Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html

Guy, K2AV

Re: K3 - Reliability

In reply to this post by Bill K9YEQ

I would lack patience after 30 minutes, given some of the remarks I've
read here. Maybe they use a tranquilizer additive to their drinking
water. 73, Guy.

On Sun, Aug 5, 2012 at 12:09 PM, Bill K9YEQ <[hidden email]> wrote:

> Not only that, both Eric and Wayne put up with a lot of stuff from us
> customers and do it with grace. That is also an extremely important quality
> they have. Personally, I would lack patience after a while.
>
> 73,
> Bill
> K9YEQ
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: [hidden email]
> [mailto:[hidden email]] On Behalf Of Mike
> Sent: Sunday, August 05, 2012 5:34 AM
> To: [hidden email]
> Subject: Re: [Elecraft] K3 - Reliability
>
> While any product on the market can have failures, what differentiates
> companies is how they handle those. I seriously doubt if anything even close
> to Eric's apology and offer would come from 99% of the companies we deal
> with.
>
> 73, Mike NF4L
>
> On 8/4/12 8:45 PM, Eric Swartz - WA6HHQ, Elecraft wrote:
>> Hi Jim,
>>
>> Wow, this certainly sounds like you have had bad luck. I'd like to
>> personally apologize to you for the frustration you have felt.
>>
>> I'm at a loss about your comment about my reaction to your question at
>> Dayton 2011. To be honest its been so long I don't recall the
>> conversation. I do know that we are usually extremely busy at Dayton,
>> especially when we are setting up and as the show is about to open. I
>> can only guess that you may have misunderstood my response (or I
>> misunderstood your question) and I was then interrupted by someone
>> else, or had to complete an urgent task, which prevented us from
>> talking further at that point. If I don't have the answer to a support
>> or technical question at shows, I usually do recommend that support is
>> contacted again, as they see a lot more K3s than Wayne or I ever will.
>> I also frequently try to direct people to a specific support engineer
>> when I can determine if they have better knowledge of a particular
> problem.
>> Its amazing what problems Gary, Dale, Richard, Howard and the rest of
>> the crew can quickly recognize and correct. But I would never brush
>> someone off purposely. I also take pains to be polite to everyone. I'm
>> always available for a direct call too if someone is not getting what
>> they need to solve a problem from our support team. I feel very badly
>> that you were left with this impression from our conversation.
>>
>> Would it be OK for me to call you on Monday to discuss your problems?
>> If you are currently unhappy with the state of your current K3, we
>> will gladly exchange it with a new production K3 with the same options
>> at our cost.
>>
>> Regards,
>>
>> Eric WA6HHQ
>> ---
>
> ______________________________________________________________
> Elecraft mailing list
> Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft
> Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm
> Post: mailto:[hidden email]
>
> This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net
> Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html

radioshoppe

Re: K3 - Reliability

In reply to this post by Eric Swartz - WA6HHQ

Eric,
Thank you for your response. I appreciate the apology and readily accept it. I realize it is very difficult to meet all customer's expectations. One has to admire Elecraft's customer service philosophy.
I will contact you via email off the reflector regarding your proposed hardware remedies.

Take pride in the USA. 73

Jim, W0EM

--- On Sun, 8/5/12, Eric Swartz - WA6HHQ, Elecraft <[hidden email]> wrote:

From: Eric Swartz - WA6HHQ, Elecraft <[hidden email]>
Subject: Re: [Elecraft] K3 - Reliability
To: "Jim Harris" <[hidden email]>
Cc: "Elecraft Email" <[hidden email]>
Date: Sunday, August 5, 2012, 12:45 AM

Hi Jim,

Wow, this certainly sounds like you have had bad luck. I'd like to personally apologize to you for the frustration you have felt.

I'm at a loss about your comment about my reaction to your question at Dayton 2011. To be honest its been so long I don't recall the conversation. I do know that we are usually extremely busy at Dayton, especially when we are setting up and as the show is about to open. I can only guess that you may have misunderstood my response (or I misunderstood your question) and I was then interrupted by someone else, or had to complete an urgent task, which prevented us from talking further at that point. If I don't have the answer to a support or technical question at shows, I usually do recommend that support is contacted again, as they see a lot more K3s than Wayne or I ever will. I also frequently try to direct people to a specific support engineer when I can determine if they have better knowledge of a particular problem. Its amazing what problems Gary, Dale, Richard, Howard and the rest of the crew can quickly recognize and correct. But I would never brush
someone off purposely. I also take pains to be polite to everyone. I'm always available for a direct call too if someone is not getting what they need to solve a problem from our support team. I feel very badly that you were left with this impression from our conversation.

Would it be OK for me to call you on Monday to discuss your problems? If you are currently unhappy with the state of your current K3, we will gladly exchange it with a new production K3 with the same options at our cost.

Regards,

Eric WA6HHQ
---
www.elecraft.com

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Bill K9YEQ

Re: K3 - Reliability

In reply to this post by Guy, K2AV

Guy,

I'll bet the guitar and a few fine beers do the trick for Wayne. I don't
know what Eric does, he probably uses the lab K2500 test amp to take out his
frustration.
73,
Bill
K9YEQ

-----Original Message-----
From: [hidden email] [mailto:[hidden email]] On Behalf Of Guy Olinger
K2AV

I would lack patience after 30 minutes, given some of the remarks I've read
here. Maybe they use a tranquilizer additive to their drinking water. 73,
Guy.

On Sun, Aug 5, 2012 at 12:09 PM, Bill K9YEQ <[hidden email]> wrote:
> Not only that, both Eric and Wayne put up with a lot of stuff from us
> customers and do it with grace. That is also an extremely important
> quality they have. Personally, I would lack patience after a while.
>
> 73,
> Bill
> K9YEQ

______________________________________________________________
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Vic Goncharsky

Re: K3 - Reliability

In reply to this post by radioshoppe

I own K3 #2907 which I assembled myself in Floyd VA while visiting my friends KK4WW and KK4WWW in 2009. It didin't take long to make the radio work. It still works perfectly since, although has been taken to several expeditions including mountain tops. The only failure were the concentric knobs that just fell apart after a few months. I am fully satisfied with the radio and decided to order the K144RFLK and K144XV kit last week.

The ELECRAFT response was so fast that I didn't manage to ask putting the knobs into the same package in time.

Excellent service, thanks.

Anyway I wonder how can I get the knobs, I don't care about color, even red ones made of good plastic will do the job for me, hi.

73 Vic US5WE/K1WE (UW5W in VHF contests) KN29AU
UARL VHF committee
Chairman, UARL Lvov Branch "LKK"
Moderator, UARL VHF portal http://www.vhfdx.at.ua
DXCC card checker in Ukraine

________________________________
From: Jim Harris <[hidden email]>
To: Elecraft Email <[hidden email]>
Sent: Sunday, August 5, 2012 3:08 AM
Subject: [Elecraft] K3 - Reliability

Bill and others,
With all the discussion about problems with the KX3 and K3 I feel is is timely to discuss the problems with my K3 and Elecraft's response. My K3 arrived as the usual modular kit and is in the 34xx serial numbers. I've had it three years this coming September (9/2012). Details of failures are as below.
1. Upon receipt the DSP PCB had 8+ volt buss shorted to ground. Elecraft replaced the PCB and it was up and working about two weeks after ordering.
2. Excessive current indication. Elecraft sent a replacement HPA that did not correct the problem. The replacment HPA had two
capacitors hanging off the side. Returned the K3 to Elecraft and they found a drive transistor in the LPA was defective.
3. Loss of sensitivity at turn on. Took about twenty minutes to reach full sensitivity. After many weeks of back and forth discussions,
Elecraft sent a relay which I installed. It did not help. Sent the K3 back to Elecraft. They found a defective solder joint on the RF board. They installed several updates. Elecraft extended the warranty to 18 months.
4. CONFIG menu was scrambled. The adjustable items did not line up with the item it was to adjust. Wayne at Elecraft got involved after several exchanges with support. Finally resolved by doing a complete reset and installing all new software. Had to recalibrate all functions and reset all adjustables in the menu as the back up was also corrupted.
5. Power adjustment was erratic. Sometimes it took five or more complete turns to change power from about 30 to 100 watts. Other adjustments controlled by that encoder seemed to work okay. Again, it took weeks back and forth with support. They finally shipped a new encoder which I
installed and that corrected the problem.
6. ATU would not tune. No relay action at all. The ATU was not in bypass. After instruction from support to recalibrate several functions and perform other tests, it begun to function properly. I'm wondering if this K3 has had the gold pin modification. Got near simultaneous responses from three different individuals in support when I emailed about the problem. Some troubleshooting overlapped but the varying directions from three different technicians was confusing. Do they have a triage system with one technician assigned to work a problem?
7. Concentrite knobs near the microphone connector cracked. I took the K3 to Field Day and when I removed it from it's Pelican like case after returning, the knobs were cracked. Support sent replacements. The replacements are a matt black and the other knobs are glossy
black. The replacements color and finish look weird compared to the originals that remain on the radio.
I and elecraft have been unable to determine if the frequency response modification has been done. The radio was shipped at about the time the modification was begun. It appears to have different capacitors from earlier PCB's but there was no daughter board installed. I installed a daughter board myself.
I also have a K2 and several mini-kits. The k2 has had no major failures. But I've calibrated the dial and set the filters several times.
At the Dayton Hamvention in 2011 I attempted to discuss the radio with Eric. His response was to call support and he turned away. I realize it was at opening time but a "can you get back with me after we get open" would have been received much better. I have worked the Elecraft booth at the Hamvention and operated an
Elecraft table at local swapfests for several years. After the above listed problems, the extended time to resolve some of the problems and the exchange at the Hamvention I will no longer give my time to support Elecraft.
When my finances allow I will be replacing the K3 as my main radio with another brand. I realize this may be a solitatiion for flames from those innebrated with the Elecraft kool-aid. I once was a great fan of Elecraft but that has fallen by the way side with this K3.

Take pride in the USA. 73

Jim, W0EM

<<<<<<I have been reading the posts about the KX3 and it brings up a question about K3 reliability.

Prior to my purchase of a K3 last winter, I did all the usual research on reflectors and boards. I was looking for real-life user information and experiences. What impressed me most was the lack of reported serious failures - those requiring
a visit to the factory. I do know that some K3s have required factory level warranty repairs. The question is: how many or what percentage. And, is there a particular problem(s) that appears often.

Most rigs, after being on the market for a period of time, have known short comings. Not so for the K3. I have read nothing that indicates a chronic problem(s).

Based on the above, I purchased and built a K3. Five months after completion - the rig is at the factory awaiting warranty repair (dark display with MCU LD shown). Needless to say, I do question the K3's reliability factor and would be very interested in the particulars of other failures requiring a return to the factory for warranty repairs.

I am still on the air, using my trusty Kenwood 480 while on vacation - so no total washouts.

Kindly keep the flames to a minimum - this is a serious question that I should have
pushed prior to purchase.

Thanks,

Bill W2BLC >>>>>>>>>>>

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______________________________________________________________
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Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm
Post: mailto:[hidden email]

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Vic Rosenthal

Re: K3 - Reliability

Send an email to [hidden email] and they will send you the knobs at no charge.

On 8/8/2012 5:53 AM, Vic Goncharsky wrote:

> I own K3 #2907 which I assembled myself in Floyd VA while visiting my friends KK4WW and
> KK4WWW in 2009. It didin't take long to make the radio work. It still works perfectly
> since, although has been taken to several expeditions including mountain tops. The only
> failure were the concentric knobs that just fell apart after a few months. I am fully
> satisfied with the radio and decided to order the K144RFLK and K144XV kit last
> week.
>
> The ELECRAFT response was so fast that I didn't manage to ask putting the knobs into
> the same package in time.
>
>
> Excellent service, thanks.
>
> Anyway I wonder how can I get the knobs, I don't care about color, even red ones made
> of good plastic will do the job for me, hi.
>
>
> 73 Vic US5WE/K1WE (UW5W in VHF contests) KN29AU UARL VHF committee Chairman, UARL Lvov
> Branch "LKK" Moderator, UARL VHF portal http://www.vhfdx.at.ua DXCC card checker in
> Ukraine

--
Vic, K2VCO
Fresno CA
http://www.qsl.net/k2vco/
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mzilmer

Re: K3 - Reliability

In reply to this post by Vic Goncharsky

Suggestion: Make a request for the two concentric knob replacements to [hidden email]. They are off the shelf and may ship the same day.

Matt Zilmer, W6NIA
Si fractum non sit, noli id reficere

-----Original Message-----
From: [hidden email] [mailto:[hidden email]] On Behalf Of Vic Goncharsky
Sent: Wednesday, August 08, 2012 5:54 AM
To: [hidden email]
Subject: Re: [Elecraft] K3 - Reliability

I own K3 #2907 which I assembled myself in Floyd VA while visiting my friends KK4WW and KK4WWW in 2009. It didin't take long to make the radio work. It still works perfectly since, although has been taken to several expeditions including mountain tops. The only failure were the concentric knobs that just fell apart after a few months. I am fully satisfied with the radio and decided to order the K144RFLK and K144XV kit last week.

The ELECRAFT response was so fast that I didn't manage to ask putting the knobs into the same package in time.

Excellent service, thanks.

Anyway I wonder how can I get the knobs, I don't care about color, even red ones made of good plastic will do the job for me, hi.

73 Vic US5WE/K1WE (UW5W in VHF contests) KN29AU UARL VHF committee Chairman, UARL Lvov Branch "LKK"
Moderator, UARL VHF portal http://www.vhfdx.at.ua DXCC card checker in Ukraine

________________________________
From: Jim Harris <[hidden email]>
To: Elecraft Email <[hidden email]>
Sent: Sunday, August 5, 2012 3:08 AM
Subject: [Elecraft] K3 - Reliability

Bill and others,
With all the discussion about problems with the KX3 and K3 I feel is is timely to discuss the problems with my K3 and Elecraft's response. My K3 arrived as the usual modular kit and is in the 34xx serial numbers. I've had it three years this coming September (9/2012). Details of failures are as below.
1. Upon receipt the DSP PCB had 8+ volt buss shorted to ground. Elecraft replaced the PCB and it was up and working about two weeks after ordering.
2. Excessive current indication. Elecraft sent a replacement HPA that did not correct the problem. The replacment HPA had two capacitors hanging off the side. Returned the K3 to Elecraft and they found a drive transistor in the LPA was defective.
3. Loss of sensitivity at turn on. Took about twenty minutes to reach full sensitivity. After many weeks of back and forth discussions, Elecraft sent a relay which I installed. It did not help. Sent the K3 back to Elecraft. They found a defective solder joint on the RF board. They installed several updates. Elecraft extended the warranty to 18 months.
4. CONFIG menu was scrambled. The adjustable items did not line up with the item it was to adjust. Wayne at Elecraft got involved after several exchanges with support. Finally resolved by doing a complete reset and installing all new software. Had to recalibrate all functions and reset all adjustables in the menu as the back up was also corrupted.
5. Power adjustment was erratic. Sometimes it took five or more complete turns to change power from about 30 to 100 watts. Other adjustments controlled by that encoder seemed to work okay. Again, it took weeks back and forth with support. They finally shipped a new encoder which I installed and that corrected the problem.
6. ATU would not tune. No relay action at all. The ATU was not in bypass. After instruction from support to recalibrate several functions and perform other tests, it begun to function properly. I'm wondering if this K3 has had the gold pin modification. Got near simultaneous responses from three different individuals in support when I emailed about the problem. Some troubleshooting overlapped but the varying directions from three different technicians was confusing. Do they have a triage system with one technician assigned to work a problem?
7. Concentrite knobs near the microphone connector cracked. I took the K3 to Field Day and when I removed it from it's Pelican like case after returning, the knobs were cracked. Support sent replacements. The replacements are a matt black and the other knobs are glossy black. The replacements color and finish look weird compared to the originals that remain on the radio.
I and elecraft have been unable to determine if the frequency response modification has been done. The radio was shipped at about the time the modification was begun. It appears to have different capacitors from earlier PCB's but there was no daughter board installed. I installed a daughter board myself.
I also have a K2 and several mini-kits. The k2 has had no major failures. But I've calibrated the dial and set the filters several times. At the Dayton Hamvention in 2011 I attempted to discuss the radio with Eric. His response was to call support and he turned away. I realize it was at opening time but a "can you get back with me after we get open" would have been received much better. I have worked the Elecraft booth at the Hamvention and operated an Elecraft table at local swapfests for several years. After the above listed problems, the extended time to resolve some of the problems and the exchange at the Hamvention I will no longer give my time to support Elecraft.
When my finances allow I will be replacing the K3 as my main radio with another brand. I realize this may be a solitatiion for flames from those innebrated with the Elecraft kool-aid. I once was a great fan of Elecraft but that has fallen by the way side with this K3.

Take pride in the USA. 73

Jim, W0EM

<<<<<<I have been reading the posts about the KX3 and it brings up a question about K3 reliability.

Prior to my purchase of a K3 last winter, I did all the usual research on reflectors and boards. I was looking for real-life user information and experiences. What impressed me most was the lack of reported serious failures - those requiring a visit to the factory. I do know that some K3s have required factory level warranty repairs. The question is: how many or what percentage. And, is there a particular problem(s) that appears often.

Most rigs, after being on the market for a period of time, have known short comings. Not so for the K3. I have read nothing that indicates a chronic problem(s).

Based on the above, I purchased and built a K3. Five months after completion - the rig is at the factory awaiting warranty repair (dark display with MCU LD shown). Needless to say, I do question the K3's reliability factor and would be very interested in the particulars of other failures requiring a return to the factory for warranty repairs.

I am still on the air, using my trusty Kenwood 480 while on vacation - so no total washouts.

Kindly keep the flames to a minimum - this is a serious question that I should have pushed prior to purchase.

Thanks,

Bill W2BLC >>>>>>>>>>>

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Don Wilhelm-4

Re: K3 - Reliability

In reply to this post by Vic Goncharsky

Vic,

Just send an email to [hidden email] and request the replacement
knobs. They are a no-cost item to you.

73,
Don W3FPR

On 8/8/2012 8:53 AM, Vic Goncharsky wrote:
> Anyway I wonder how can I get the knobs, I don't care about color, even red ones made of good plastic will do the job for me, hi.
>
>

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Eric Swartz - WA6HHQ

Re: K3 - Reliability

Administrator

In reply to this post by Vic Goncharsky

Please note that all K3 knobs are warrantied for the life of the radio.
We will replace them immediately if they break.

While most K3s never have seen knob breakage, we have seen it on -way-
too many radios. We were not happy with this. We went through several
evolutions on the concentric knobs as the vendor got their quality under
control. (This is a US vendor, EHC, with a great reputation. We were
very frustrated with their issues.) We first added glass fiber fill to
strengthen them, which helped a lot, around the time of your rig. They
are now made with metal inserts. (We phased those in this year.)

We have seen virtually no breakage on the latest versions of the
concentric AF/RF knobs, which are shipping on all new K3s.

Anyone who has broken knobs can contact [hidden email] for free
replacements. If you just want an extra set and do not have breakage,
they are very reasonably priced.

73,

Eric WA6HHQ
---
www.elecraft.com

On 8/8/2012 5:53 AM, Vic Goncharsky wrote:

> I own K3 #2907 which I assembled myself in Floyd VA while visiting my friends KK4WW and KK4WWW in 2009. It didin't take long to make the radio work. It still works perfectly since, although has been taken to several expeditions including mountain tops. The only failure were the concentric knobs that just fell apart after a few months. I am fully satisfied with the radio and decided to order the K144RFLK and K144XV kit last week.
>
> The ELECRAFT response was so fast that I didn't manage to ask putting the knobs into the same package in time.
>
>
> Excellent service, thanks.
>
> Anyway I wonder how can I get the knobs, I don't care about color, even red ones made of good plastic will do the job for me, hi.
>
>
> 73 Vic US5WE/K1WE (UW5W in VHF contests) KN29AU
>

VK4ACB

Broken Knobs

G'day Eric

When I assembled my K3, #5234 (with improved knobs) the problem with
the concentric knobs was not breakage but taper in the bores of the
knobs, 7 thou larger on the outer end to the other if I remember
correctly, this had the effect of throwing the outer (operator) end of
the knob over in a direction away from the grub-screw when tightened,
the only way I could make them work freely was to not nest the smaller
knob inside the moulded relief part of the larger knob, not a big drama
but being eccentric it is noticeable looking at the front panel, I
considered asking for replacements but thought the replacements probably
would be the same so then I was going to machine up some brass inserts
myself to fix the problem, yeah right! getting down time when I am not
using the radio is the problem !

73

Wade VK4WM

On 9/08/2012 2:05 AM, Eric Swartz - WA6HHQ, Elecraft wrote:

> Please note that all K3 knobs are warrantied for the life of the
> radio. We will replace them immediately if they break.
>
> While most K3s never have seen knob breakage, we have seen it on -way-
> too many radios. We were not happy with this. We went through several
> evolutions on the concentric knobs as the vendor got their quality
> under control. (This is a US vendor, EHC, with a great reputation. We
> were very frustrated with their issues.) We first added glass fiber
> fill to strengthen them, which helped a lot, around the time of your
> rig. They are now made with metal inserts. (We phased those in this
> year.)
>
> We have seen virtually no breakage on the latest versions of the
> concentric AF/RF knobs, which are shipping on all new K3s.
>
> Anyone who has broken knobs can contact [hidden email] for free
> replacements. If you just want an extra set and do not have breakage,
> they are very reasonably priced.
>
> 73,
>
> Eric WA6HHQ
> ---
> www.elecraft.com